1. What was the best sight during the journey and why?
In my very biased opinion, New York City was the sight in itself. The skyscrapers and bright city lights are definitely not something we usually see in even the major European cities. It was such an experience just to walk around, enjoying all the sights we don’t get in Finland. It’s been years since I’ve been able to wander around a city that one would consider a concrete jungle — there’s definitely a good amount of people who prefer European like Helsinki or Espoo, but as someone who grew up in an urban city, I feel right at home amidst the skyscrapers, bustling crowds and busy streets. Even if you are not fond of big and busy cities, New York City can still be a magical experience for you!
2. What was your favorite cultural experience (poetry slam, stand-up, musical) during the journey and why?
The musicals, definitely! As an avid musical fan, I even bought myself a ticket for the hit musical Hadestown while everyone else was shopping in the streets around The Strand. I also went to see Merrily We Roll Along with Mrs Puhakka and saw Daniel Radcliffe aka Harry Potter. However, the most memorable of all three musicals I went to has to be Moulin Rouge, where I managed to get an autograph and a picture with one of my favourite Broadway stars, Derek Klena! New York City isn’t called a culture hub for the arts for nothing: Broadway is always alive and teeming with locals and tourists alike, looking to treat themselves to watching a life-changing performance onstage!
3. Which piece of art intrigued you at MoMa and/or The Metropolitan Museum of Art and why? Add a photo!
Claude Monet’s Bouquet of Sunflowers (1881) is among one of the many works of art from which my love for sunflowers bloomed. It was also liked by Vincent van Gogh, another one of my favourite painters and also known for his paintings of sunflowers, who wrote that another one of his friends claimed that he liked Van Gogh’s painting better, but Van Gogh was not of that opinion. This, amongst Monet’s other works, captivates me with the visible detail in each brushstroke and choice of colour. The Metropolitan Museum of Arts (MET) is a must for any lover of the arts.
4. What did you learn about living in New York and being a New Yorker?
Spending a week in an urban city like New York definitely made me realise why it’s called “The City That Never Sleeps”. The city is constantly abuzz with noise and light, so if you’re someone who prefers the quiet of Finland, it takes a while to get used to. Even after our long and tiring flight from Finland to America, we could not help but keep our eyes peeled open to take the city and the sights in; even something as simple as a fire escape made us whip our phones out and take pictures! Though New York City isn’t exactly like what you see in the movies, the similarities are certainly uncanny enough to make you feel as though you’re in a movie of your own!
When travelling to NYC, also take note that New Yorkers are generally more outgoing that Finns are accustomed to as well. Remember to always greet the cashier/store attendant and exchange pleasantries; don’t just jump right into business! It’s considered rude in New York.
5. How would you describe your own contribution to preparing for the journey and what was challenging?
Since writing papers is a strong suit of mine, I believe I made a great contribution to the research papers that ended up winning our school the distinction award! I enjoy writing English papers of any kind, so it was definitely a breeze for me—putting effort into tasks is much more effective when you’re enjoying it, after all. On the other hand, the actual conference was the biggest challenge for me, as sitting in that conference hall with much more seasoned delegates made my stage fright return, and I was unable to make a speech. It wasn’t that bad though, as we managed to speak with other delegates during the unmoderated caucuses and still contributed to the final resolution paper!
6. What did you do at the Model UN conference? What could you have done better? What did you excel at? Strengths and weaknesses?
There’s not much to do during moderated caucuses besides making speeches or taking notes while other delegates make other speeches; in that case, I could have done much better in actually going up to make a speech. However, the real action happens during un-moderated caucuses! This is when delegates are given a timeframe where they are permitted to leave their seats and speak with each other, talking about their bloc’s goals, forming alliances and talking about their draft resolutions. In this case, I had already made some friends from the same committee prior to the conference, so it was fairly easy to branch out from there! But to future delegates, I really recommend making the speech on the first day so you can get it over and done with; it’s a lot less stressful that way!
7. What did you learn about the UN? Could you see yourself as a diplomat or having an international job in some way? Why/why not?
Before our trip to New York, I never really had much reason to think of the UN as anything beyond a global organisation with intent to maintain peace and prosperity in all nations across the world. Our tour around the UN Headquarters and our meeting with Finnish UN diplomats definitely opened my eyes to how multi-faceted the UN’s work really is! There are several different branches of the UN (the General Assembly (GA), the Security Council (SC), the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the Trusteeship Council, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and the UN Secretariat) and they all have different tasks that interconnect to ensure that the United Nations as a whole is capable of achieving their goals of peace across the world.
As for pursuing an international job as a diplomat: that’s something to think about for the future! Unfortunately, what I want to do in the future is still unclear, and I prefer to keep the thought on the backburner to avoid overthinking it. However, I would say that this opportunity to represent our school in NHSMUN has definitely given me some food for thought about considering a career as a diplomat.
8. Did the experience change you? If so, please be specific.
Visiting New York City certainly made me realise that I might want a future there — or in a big city, at least. The city is a culture hub for entertainment and the arts, and there’s no shortage of things to do! When I get tired of the quiet and natural life in Finland, perhaps I’ll try to live in New York City for a few months. I certainly miss it enough to go back again.
9. What advice do you have for future delegates?
Don’t stress! You may forget this certain piece of advice when you step into the conference and realise how serious and capable the more experienced delegates are, but remember that for a lot of students, this is their first time in an official Model UN conference as well. Confidence is key; pretending that you actually know what you’re doing helps in taking that first step to being recognised at a Model UN conference.
10. What did you think about New York/the US and the Model UN before the trip and how did your perceptions change?
Admittedly, I kept my expectations for New York — and the US in general — relatively low because I didn’t want to be too disappointed by how the city isn’t exactly like the movies I’ve seen. However, New York City definitely blew my mind away. It’s not that different from other urban cities I’ve been to, but there’s a certain element to NYC that makes it special. Spending time in a city that never sleeps after living in a place like Finland made me miss living in big cities, even though we were only able to stay for a little over a week. There’s still definitely cons to living in NYC (like the prices) but that won’t stop me from visiting again in the near future.
PICTURES BY/WRITTEN BY: Andrea Leila Erestain
1. What did you think about New York/the US and the Model UN before the trip and how did your perceptions change?
EYL Global Citizens 